The Ministry of Fisheries states that steps will be taken to retrieve the 6 Sri Lankan fisherman freed by Somalian pirates.

The operations director of the Fisheries Department Lal De Silva speaking to our news team noted that officers attached to the Sri Lankan consulate in Nairobi had already been dispatched on this behalf.

The 6 fisherman who set sail from the Negombo fisheries port last September on board the "Nimesha duwa" fishing craft were captured by Somali pirates on the 05th of January.

The Somali pirates demanded for a ransom of 680 million rupees in order to set the fisherman free.

However on the 18th of April a Spanish naval ship which had set sail across the Indian Ocean had encountered the Somali pirate vessel on board which the 6 Sri Lankan fishermen were being held captive.

During this encounter the Somali Pirates were taken into custody by Spanish Naval officers while the fishermen were placed under the vessels protection.